An article published on January 2 in the American publication The Wall Street Journal, titled Why Jihadism Is in Retreat, analyzes long-term changes in political Islam. The author, international observer Yaroslav Trofimov, argues that despite isolated acts of violence, global jihadism is losing ground.
Edil Baisalov, Deputy Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan, became one of the key experts whose opinion was included in the publication. He shared his experience analyzing the situation in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia over the past thirty years.
The publication notes that since the late 1970s, Saudi Arabia has used its oil revenues to spread ultra-conservative Sunni Islam around the world, which also affected post-Soviet Central Asia, where an ideological vacuum emerged in the 1990s and early 2000s after the collapse of the USSR.
According to Baisalov, funds from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries "literally filled Kyrgyzstan with mosques and madrasas," contributing to the formation of an entire generation of radicals.
He noted in a comment to the WSJ that "hundreds of these people eventually joined the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda."
At the same time, Baisalov emphasized that this is not about traditional Islam for the region, but about borrowed ideologies that poorly align with the local culture and secular lifestyle.
The article also points out that with the rise to power of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2017, this policy has effectively been rolled back. The kingdom has significantly reduced the powers of the religious establishment, dissolved the religious police, and ceased funding ultra-conservative missionary activities abroad.
Baisalov stated: "Everything changed for us with the arrival of Mohammed bin Salman. We reached a peak. With the beginning of large-scale modernization in the Middle East, a new era begins."
He added that the changes are already noticeable in practice. Citizens of Kyrgyzstan working or traveling in the Gulf encounter a more modern and open social landscape, where women actively participate in education and work. This experience is also shared by millions of Muslims who come to Saudi Arabia annually for the Hajj, as noted by the WSJ.
The publication emphasizes that the official religious structures of the kingdom now focus on interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence, rather than on a confrontational ideology. Although isolated terrorist acts committed by radicalized individuals, in the author's opinion, do not reflect the overall historical trend but represent the inertia of a fading era.
The experience of Kyrgyzstan, referenced by The Wall Street Journal, confirms that the wave of radicalization has peaked and is beginning to decline.
Edil Baisalov summarized: "We are indeed entering a new era."
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